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Arsenal seem to be stuck in somewhat of a lull at the moment. Mesut Ozil has started just two games since Boxing Day, Aaron Ramsey has signed a pre-contract agreement with Juventus and four of their first-team defenders are on the wrong side of 30.

Gunners boss Unai Emery has a rebuilding job on his hands this summer, but it will be even tougher after it was revealed that he will only be handed £40m to spend – he will have to be shrewd in his dealings, and maybe look to offload a name or two. Or three. Or four.

Arsenal have a number of stars who aren’t pulling their weight, and they aren’t exactly earning peanuts at the Emirates Stadium.

So, Football FanCast have taken a look at who Emery could shift off the wage bill this summer to free up some vital funds, based on figures from Spotrac.

Those who are (almost) definitely leaving

As previously mentioned, Ramsey has already signed a contract with Serie A champions Juventus, so his £6.24m salary will be struck off the wage bill in the summer.

Additionally, Danny Welbeck, Carl Jenkinson and Stephan Lichtsteiner are all out of contract and one would assume they are unlikely to be offered fresh terms. Respectively, they each earn £6.5m, £2.34m and £3.9m per-year.

Petr Cech, who earns £5.72m, has also announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

Those who look to have no future at the club

Arsenal have a number of players either out on loan or at the club who don’t appear to have any kind of future with the north London-based side.

The likes of Emiliano Martinez and Mohamed Elneny are currently on the fringes of the first team, with the former out on loan at Reading and the latter struggling for game time. Both have not set the world alight and have done little to catch Emery’s attention.

Argentinian stopper Martinez earns £1.04m, whilst Elneny is apparently on £2.6m each season.

Those who aren’t doing enough to warrant their wage

The Gunners have some astronomically high earners who simply aren’t pulling their weight.

Ozil has been told by Emery that he ‘needs to be consistent in training and for matches, without injury or being sick’ – the fact that he isn’t even keeping himself fit and available whilst earning a club-highest £18.2m per-year is ridiculous.

Other high earners such as Mustafi and Mkhitaryan have been below-par this season, failing to perform their duties to the level expected and certainly not to the level that their wages warrant. The German international takes home £4.68m, whilst the former Manchester United attacker’s salary is set at £9.36m.

Arsenal’s potential savings

If the Gunners can manage to offload the aforementioned names along with the ones who are certain to leave, then a staggering £1.165m will be freed up on the weekly wage bill, which means that the north Londoners will save £60.58m annually.

Depending on how much of that figure Stan Kroenke allows the Spaniard to have included onto the transfer budget remains to be seen, but if Emery can convince him to carry some of it over, that slim £40m will receive a much-needed boost.

It’s safe to say Unai Emery’s got Arsenal playing the beautiful football they became accustomed to under Arsene Wenger.

The flair’s back in their game, with goals pouring in from everywhere. However, one department he needs to work on is their defensive unit.

Not only do Arsenal need to be stronger down the middle, the Gunners also need more quality in the sides. Saed Kolasinac might possess a drive like none other, but is still quite lacklustre defensively, despite some relatively impressive showings during his time at the club.

The Gunners need a more reliable left back and according to reports (via The Scottish Sun), they’ve turned their attention towards Celtic’s Kieran Tierney.

The young left back’s been making headlines for all the right reasons in the Scottish Premiership, with his impressive performances for the Bhoys helping him gain attention. Arsenal are apparently ready to pay £25 million for the 21-year-old, who’s provided five assists in 15 appearances and also helped them Celtic keep nine clean-sheets (stats via Transfermarkt).

Despite being injured for a large chunk of the season, Tierney’s excellent work in recent years means he’s ready for the big leagues. Not only stable defensively with his assertive style and intelligence while defending, he also has pace and creativity to help boost any attack.

The young left-back can easily blend into Emery’s exciting system and elevate the Gunners’ style all around.

Indeed, he can form a healthy competitive partnership with Kolasinac, slowly growing into a complete left-back, who can slowly help fix the Gunners’ defensive frailties and add more thunder to their attack. With Nacho Monreal surely coming to the end of his FA Cup-laden time soon, Tierney would potentially be the heir Arsenal fans have been waiting for.

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They always say that the next match or the next trophy is the most important but for John Hartson a 2019 SPFL title win would be the sweetest of Celtic’s current run.

Neil Lennon started the sequence off before Ronny Deila took control. When things looked a little stormy Brendan Rodgers was drafted in to kick off an incredible spell of domestic success.

The Irishman quickly put out the challenge offered by Mark Warburton with Pedro Mendes unable to last a season and the unfortunate Graeme Murty left to pick up the pieces on both occasions.

This season Rangers raised the stakes considerably when they appointed Steven Gerrard. After winning the December Old Firm derby to draw level on points Jermain Defoe and Steve Davis were recruited but since the turn of the year Celtic have opened up an eight point advantage at the top of the table.

It’s 34 years since the league title last went outside of Glasgow and Hartson believes that the hype around their city rivals will make success this season something for Celtic to savour.

He told the Evening Times:

“If Celtic go on now and win the title, it’ll be the sweetest one of the last eight.

“This season was the season that Rangers really thought they had a chance. There was all the fanfare when Stevie Gerrard came in over the summer – and a time when Celtic were beset by a summer of frustration and public disharmony.

“Then there was that defeat at Ibrox at the end of December. I don’t think I have seen Celtic play so meekly in a long time against Rangers. So that fed fresh hope to the Ibrox support.

“And then there was the January transfer window with the arrival of Steven Davis and Jermain Defoe which caused all manner of excitement. And then all of a sudden, you get to February and Celtic are eight points clear at the top.”

The scenes at the final whistle on Sunday might suggest otherwise but no one at Celtic will be celebrating a title success in February.

That will change if the current lead is extended after the March 31 Glasgow derby but after losing four matches before the new year, Rodgers won’t let complacency anywhere near his squad.

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Aston Villa supporters have been left dumbfounded by the FA’s decision to charge the club for failing to keep control of its players during last Sunday’s Second City derby.

It was a game which involved a host of emotions, no less so than when Jack Grealish was shockingly punched by a supporter. However, Birmingham players reacted justly to the situation by consoling the Villa man. The same player then threw himself into the crowd after scoring the winner, but both clubs have now been hit by FA charges.

Villa fans are baffled that their club has been punished, slamming the FA for what they feel is an injustice. The reaction on Twitter was scathing, with individuals laying into English football’s governing body, calling them corrupt and out of touch.

Words continued to be thrown in the direction of the FA who were branded penny pinchers by one Villans fan as another suggested they’d completely missed the point.

Much of the debate centred around the incident involving Grealish as supporters failed to see no reason why he couldn’t celebrate in the nature he did after being assaulted.

However, there was some praise for Birmingham, despite being rivals, with some of the reaction hailing both sets of players’ conduct by commenting that there had barely been any confrontation.

Earlier this week, a Blues supporter was jailed for 14 weeks following the Grealish attack.

Here is the best of the reaction from the vocal Villa Park faithful…

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Birmingham City’s season is far from over as they chase a play-off spot, but manager Garry Monk already knows what his biggest difficulty was and how he has overcome it, speaking to bcfc.com following a year at St Andrew’s.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 39-year-old celebrated 12 months in charge of the Blues this week, and it has certainly been full of ups-and-downs.

The transfer embargo issues have certainly been a negative, but the Midlands club have been much improved on the pitch and given the fans something to shout about – they lie just four points short of the top six with 11 fixtures left to play this term.

Speaking to bcfc.com, Monk said: “I just felt a really good feeling with the players, the staff and the fans coming off the end of last season.

“The most important bit was connecting it all back together again and putting a much more positive feeling around the Club.

“For me, when I get to the end of this season, that’s been the biggest success because that’s a very difficult thing to do.”

Is he right?

He certainly is.

The former Leeds United boss has created a feel-good factor at St Andrew’s that had long been dwindling as the team flirted with relegation, and he has got players such as Che Adams performing at a really high level.

While the 2-0 defeat against Hull City last time out was disappointing and affected their momemtum in the race to secure a top-six finish, Monk has the opportunity to become even more of a hero and mark his year at the helm in style when Birmingham host Aston Villa in the second city derby this weekend.

حصل لاعب أستون فيلا محمود حسن تريزيجيه على تقييم مميز بعد مشاركته في فوزهم اليوم على فريق ليفربول، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتواجه الفريقان في الجولة الرابعة في ملعب فيلا بارك، حيث فاز أستون فيلا بسبعة أهداف مقابل هدفين.

وشارك تريزيجيه كأساسي في المباراة، ولعب حتى الدقيقة 87 وصنع الهدف الرابع. ملخص لمسات تريزيجيه أمام ليفربول

وحسب شبكة “هوسكورد” العالمية، حصل تريزيجيه على تقييم بلغ 8.6/10.

وأوضحت أن تريزيجيه استحوذ على الكرة بنسبة 2.8%، وبلغت معدل تمريراته الصحيحة 83%.

وفاز تريزيجيه في الصراعات الهوائية ثلاث مرات، وفقد الاستحواذ على كرته ثلاث مرات.

وصوب تريزيجيه تسديدة واحدة خلال مشاركته، وذلك تجاه المرمى.

Liverpool will have their sights set on the Merseyside derby on Sunday at Goodison Park, with Everton looking to get revenge after Divock Origi’s last-minute winner at Anfield. 

Jurgen Klopp has managed to turn a number of quality players into stars during his time at Liverpool, which has been one of the main reasons behind the Merseyside club’s success in recent times.

Interestingly, it appears as if FSG may have the opportunity to secure a special talent for a bargain price in the summer transfer window, as according to Bild and kicker (via This is Anfield), Julian Brandt could be available for just €25 million or £21.6 million as he negotiated a release clause when signing his extension at Bayern Leverkusen that can be activated at the end of this campaign.

The Reds were linked (as per Calcioinsider) with a move for Brandt back in the summer transfer window but nothing materialised, so the Reds should go in for him in the summer after catching wind of his release clause.

Indeed, the German has been hugely impressive in the current campaign, having produced seven goals and 10 assists in all competitions. He predominantly features out wide but has previous experience through the middle and Jurgen Klopp could definitely transform him into more of an attacking midfielder, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane already working wonders out wide. So, he could finally be the answer to Liverpool’s search for Philippe Coutinho’s replacement.

Brandt would be the perfect man to fill the Brazilian’s void as he’s shown that he can score goals and provide assists in the final third, as well as being able to cause havoc with his skill, dribbling ability and pace. And, the 22-year-old can use both feet and would take Liverpool’s attack up another level with the ability to pick the final pass and create more space for the Reds’ dangerous front three.

What do you think Liverpool fans?

It is a sad thing when one of football’s most promising talents slips into obscurity because of injury – and that is exactly what happened to Matt Jansen.

It is a dangerous world for the talented to enter – the dazzling lights of the Premier League, the stardom, the expectations, the highs and lows, rejection and jubilation.

And former forward Matt Jansen’s career encompasses them all, and some.

It really is a tragic tale to analyse. The story of the man who had it all cruelly ripped away by one of sports most unwanted events.

Jansen had just made his £4 million move from Crystal Palace when the reality hit him – the very conscious moment that he was about to take his inaugural leap into stardom, the pivotal moment of his life, under the watchful guidance of Premier League winning side Blackburn Rovers.

Ok – it did not quite turn out as planned, with Blackburn suffering relegation soon after, but 24 goals in 48 matches on the road back to the topflight really showed that he meant business, as did the 16 he netted when he finally made it to the sacred land of Premier League football.

Ironically, it was being on the cusp of something so special that brought down a special career.

The World Cup squad selection was looming, and Jansen was touted as one of the obvious selections, given his form and ability.

He recounted his experience.

“Sven Goran Eriksson was at our game at Liverpool the day before the squad was announced and he told Graeme Souness that I should try not to get injured because I was going to the World Cup,” Jansen recalled (as per the Independent).

“It was quite a shock,” he said.

“But apparently, Sven and Tord Grip decided they should have an extra defender and so, at the 11th hour, they took Martin Keown instead of me.”

Like the proverbial flap of the butterflies wings, the decision to leave Jansen out of the squad would kickstart a chain of events that would irreversibly change the course of his life.

During an extended break from the game, spent with his girlfriend, and now wife, Jansen was involved in a serious crash that left him with a brain haemorrhage and in a coma for six days.

“I recovered physically, but not mentally. Before the accident I was on fire, I was on the verge of an England call-up. I was high on confidence – but I could never regain that,” Jansen recounted years later after returning to the game (Independent).

“The psychologists and psychiatrists and brain surgeons said I shouldn’t have played for 18 months – if at all,” says Jansen. “But I felt ready. However, though I might have been physically ready, I wasn’t mentally ready. I had psychological problems. I was playing, but I was my own worst critic after the accident.”

He then went on to discuss the mental effects of not feeling good enough – the depressing slumps in professional football after falling from the limelight, the challenges of recovery and the constant pressures he could never overcome.

Despite returning to Premier League football, Jansen freely admits he was never the same, and after some brief stints in the top divisions, he eventually succumbed to his fate, dropping down to play in the lowest tiers for Wrexham, Leigh Genesis FC and Chorley before giving the game up together – immortalised as one of the most profound cases of ‘what if?’

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Supporters of West Brom have been left absolutely fuming with the FA’s decision not to charge Brentford man Julian Jeanvier for spitting in their direction.

The incident occurred during the club’s 1-0 win over the Bees earlier this month but upon reviewing footage, the FA have decided no punishment was needed for Jeanvier.

Baggies supporters are incensed and feel that he should have been charged, claiming that he didn’t just spit in their general direction but it was actually at them.

Many fans have slammed the FA’s decision arguing that had it been the other way around then they’d have been given banning orders.

There have been a number of fan and player incidents lately with Jack Grealish being punched during the Second City derby in March. Similarly, a fan ran on the pitch during Arsenal’s win over Manchester United recently.

They were more extreme cases but it seems strange not to charge the Brentford defender for a situation that has clearly made the Hawthorns faithful incredibly angry.

What makes the FA’s decision not to charge him even more bizarre is the fact that the Frenchman has actually admitted to spitting towards them.

Brentford conducted their own investigation and reminded the player that his behaviour was unacceptable.

Here’s the reaction from Twitter.

Reports from the Daily Mirror suggest that Arsenal are set to appoint Roma’s Monchi as their new sporting director.

The Gunners have reportedly lined up the Spaniard to replace the recently departed Sven Mislintat at the Emirates. Monchi has a world-class reputation following his work at Sevilla and would be considered a real coup if he was appointed. The 50-year-old enjoyed plenty of success in Spain working alongside current Arsenal boss Unai Emery.

One of his priorities in the summer transfer window will be to sort out the Arsenal back four. Despite adding the likes of Sokratis and Bernd Leno to their squad, their defence has let them down constantly throughout the campaign. Monchi could raid the Italian club in order to find a solution.

The ideal addition could be Roma superstar – Konstantinos Manolas. Valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, the Greece international has established himself as one of the top defenders in the Serie A since leaving Olympiacos back in 2014. Now approaching the prime of his career, there is no better time to lure him to the Premier League.

The 27-year-old is a fantastic defender who would add some much-needed stability to the Gunners backline. Manolas is extremely quick for a centre-back and loves to get stuck into a challenge. The Greek reads the game superbly and is dominant in the air meaning the physicality of the Premier League shouldn’t faze him. He also excels with the ball at his feet thanks to his excellent range of passing – he would be a perfect fit for Emery’s system in north London.

Having been linked with a move to the Emirates in previous years – with the Gunners said to have had a bid snubbed a couple of years ago (from Sport FM via Goal) – Emery should lean on Monchi to lure the enforcer over from the Italian capital at long last.

With international experience as well as a host of Champions League appearances, Manolas knows how to succeed at the highest level.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?